diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.py b/.github/workflows/ci.py
index d9e8ce771..ab791df15 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.py
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ NERD_URL = 'https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/releases/latest/download/Ner
 is_bundle = os.environ.get('KITTY_BUNDLE') == '1'
 is_codeql = os.environ.get('KITTY_CODEQL') == '1'
 is_macos = 'darwin' in sys.platform.lower()
+running_under_sanitizer = os.environ.get('KITTY_SANITIZE') == '1'
 SW = ''
 
 
@@ -134,10 +135,8 @@ def install_deps() -> None:
 def build_kitty() -> None:
     python = shutil.which('python3') if is_bundle else sys.executable
     cmd = f'{python} setup.py build --verbose'
-    if os.environ.get('KITTY_SANITIZE') == '1':
+    if running_under_sanitizer:
         cmd += ' --debug --sanitize'
-    elif is_macos:
-        cmd += ' --debug'  # for better crash report to debug SIGILL issue
     run(cmd)
 
 
@@ -145,6 +144,8 @@ def test_kitty() -> None:
     if is_macos:
         run('ulimit -c unlimited')
         run('sudo chmod -R 777 /cores')
+        if running_under_sanitizer:
+            os.environ['MallocNanoZone'] = '0'
     run('./test.py', print_crash_reports=True)
 
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 1cbf4f6b0..95ea55b4d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ jobs:
                 os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest]
         env:
             KITTY_BUNDLE: 1
+            KITTY_SANITIZE: 1
         steps:
           - name: Checkout source code
             uses: actions/checkout@v6.0.3
diff --git a/kitty_tests/check_build.py b/kitty_tests/check_build.py
index dfc9ed3a6..956154032 100644
--- a/kitty_tests/check_build.py
+++ b/kitty_tests/check_build.py
@@ -127,8 +127,10 @@ class TestBuild(BaseTest):
             exe = os.path.join(tdir, 'dictation_probe')
             with open(src, 'w') as f:
                 f.write(probe)
+            nm = subprocess.run(['nm', '-g', cocoa_module], capture_output=True, text=True)
+            asan_flags = ['-fsanitize=address,undefined', '-fno-omit-frame-pointer'] if '__asan_init' in nm.stdout else []
             cp = subprocess.run(
-                ['clang', '-framework', 'AppKit', src, '-o', exe],
+                ['clang', '-framework', 'AppKit'] + asan_flags + [src, '-o', exe],
                 stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, text=True
             )
             self.assertEqual(cp.returncode, 0, cp.stdout)